Rachel and Jon's Carefree Waterfront Wedding at District Winery in Washington, D.C.

We have two types of clients: those who we've been lucky to call our friends before we were hired to photograph their wedding, and those who became our friends through the wedding photography journey. Rachel and Jon are in the former camp- Jon is a former colleague of mine from my days as a photojournalist at The Valley News, and it was there that I learned his wonderfully dry sense of humor and sweet personality. Through Jon, I met Rachel when she'd come up to New Hampshire to visit during their long distance relationship and immediately fell in love with her easygoing personality.

The greatest thing about photographing friends' weddings is we always learn something new about our buddies. Last night, while at the newly-built District Winery in Southeast DC, surrounded by Jon and Rachel's best people, we learned that they are really good, energetic dancers, and didn't stop dancing until the band played the last song, "Purple Rain." 

Two Weeks in Europe

A fond tradition we look forward to every year is traveling a few weeks before wedding season- it not only gives us something to look forward to each year, but it also gives us a fresh perspective to launch into our working season with. Going to Europe has been a dream of ours for years, and this year, we were able to bring it to life. We decided on France, Switzerland, Germany, and Copenhagen, and learned the railway system, walked over 100 miles, ate dozens of croissants and baguettes and met some really cool people. 

Part of our travel always involves our passions, so besides taking lots of photographs, we spent an afternoon on a river in France where Jeff could fly fish, and a day at an idyllic Icelandic horse farm in Germany where I took some riding lessons (and we both took lots of photos). 

While we have the fewest photos from our time in Copenhagen, it was our absolute favorite part of the trip- biking around such a beautiful, friendly city was the highlight of an incredible trip. 

Susannah and James' Camp Engagement Session at Lanakila and Aloha Hive in Fairlee, Vermont

From their initial inquiry this past winter, I knew Susannah and James would be a lot of fun to work with. They're both teachers, and spend each summer as camp counselors at idyllic camps in the same town but on different lakes. As Susannah says, "we're a couple that doesn't take ourselves too seriously." Despite the cold April day, we had more fun in an engagement session than I had in a while, with Susannah and James being totally up for anything, including acting out scenes from Titanic and randomly striking fake sexy poses. Jeff and I can't wait to celebrate with them in June 2019 at Lanakila and Aloha Hive! 

Becky and Zach's Elegant Wedding With A View at the State Room in Boston, MA

St. Patrick's Day in Boston is a sight to behold- the sidewalks full of people decked in green, the lines to every bar going around the block, and the hooting and hollering from enthused revelers echoing in the streets. On this particular March 17th, an altogether different event was going on thirty-some floors above the city sidewalks. White roses glowed in the sweet light of dusk, framing an unmatchable floor-to-ceiling view of the city. A reverent quiet hung in the air as Becky and Zach said their vows under the prayer shawl that belonged to Zach's grandfather. It was the part of the day Becky said a few weeks before that she was most looking forward to, and that moment went above and beyond everyone's expectations. 

Gorgeous views and decor aside- what made this wedding for us was working with Becky and Zach- they're smitten with each other and are some of the kindest, calmest people we've met. I (Sarah) loved spending time in Boston with them in the months before the wedding, collaborating to find the perfect spot for a first look (we got super lucky!), walking the streets from Hotel to Venue, and drawing schedules up over coffee. 

Lauren and Joe's Joyful, Mid-Winter Wedding in Valatie and Albany, New York

In the middle of Lauren and Joe's reception at Jack's Oyster House in Albany, everyone was on the dance floor, singing at the top of their lungs. Jeff and I kept turning to each other and saying, "Wait, are we sure this is a MONDAY?" Lauren and Joe took their exuberance for life and each other and created a new definition for a weekday wedding. 

Lauren and Joe share much more together than their love for each other- they have the same full-out giddy smile when something makes them happy, their love for their military college- Norwich University, where they met, and a deep respect and love for their families. With the help of their family, they created a beautiful evening to celebrate where they've come, where they are, and where they're going, and EVERYBODY helped celebrating by dancing the entire night. As we left late Monday night, the singing echoed into the streets of downtown Albany, making us smile. This was the first wedding of our 2018 season, and with the sparkling way this one went, we're ecstatic to dive into the rest of the season. 

The Best of 2017

2017 was a year of incredible growth for Jeff and me and this wonderful little company. In the fall of 2016 we realized that Two Of Us had grown bigger and faster than we had ever expected, and I left my full-time job as a newspaper photographer to give each wedding more time and attention.

This was our first full year with me running the business full-time, and the whole year was more relaxing, rewarding, and inspiring for us as a business. We photographed 21 weddings this year- our biggest year yet! Throughout the year we delved more into our photographic and business style, realizing that couples crave both our artful documentary style and the way we strive to get to know each couple we work with before we photograph their wedding. We were also thrilled to be recognized by the international organization Wedding Photojournalists Association for some of our photos. 

This year was also a huge year for us personally. We finished building our energy-efficient, timber-frame house that we worked together to design and build. It's been a joy to settle into a place to call all our own (If you want to read about our process, check out this article recently published in Vermont's Seven Days:. 

As for the weddings themselves? We found ourselves constantly in awe of each couple we worked with (seriously, we got super lucky this year with awesome people) who made their wedding their own, drama-free, joy-filled day. And now, we'll let the photos do the rest of the filling in. 

Happy New Year!

A very Happy New Year from the Two Of Us Photography Team! We've loved working with our couples this year (Sarah and Jeff, Janet and Mike, Sarah and Yamil, Megan and Gus, Joanna and Toben, Christina and Mike, Natalie and John, Sydney and Ben, Jordy and Eric, Meg and Chris, Jen and Greg, Morgan and Nick, Emma and Johnny, Theresa and Tiffani, Angela and Mark, Jenn and Bryan, Audrey and Marion, Courtney and Reilly, Cynthia and Nicholas, Steve and Nicole, and Debra and Taylor), and we're thrilled to be photographing so many wonderful weddings in 2018! Here's to a year full of celebration, peace, and beautiful light. 

Nicole and Steve's City-Farm Wedding at the Queens County Farm Museum

When Jeff showed up to Steve's house in a neighborhood on Long Island, Steve insisted he make Jeff breakfast with eggs he collected from his backyard chickens the same morning before he started getting ready for his wedding. This is Steve in a nutshell, and we're proud to say we've been friends with him since our college days, when we were all photojournalism majors at the Rochester Institute of Technology. 

For about as long as we've known Steve, we've known Nicole- the two met on a blind date and became inseparable from the start- she's as silly as she is sweet, and makes everyone who meets her immediately feel at ease.

Their wedding day was a perfect celebration of who they are- honoring their love of history, family, farming, and firefighting (Steve and his family have long been firefighters), and it was an honor to photograph our dear friends wedding and party with them! 

Cynthia and Nicolas' Mountain Corgi Wedding at the Barn at Smuggler's Notch

We've been incredibly lucky this year to photograph not one, but TWO weddings that include one or more Corgis. We're always super excited when people get to incorporate their pets in the wedding, and Corgis are one of my favorite breeds (they're always so fun to photograph), so of course we were thrilled when Cynthia and Nicolas mentioned that their dogs, Millie and Monty, were a big part of their celebration. 

Cynthia went to school at RIT, our alma mater, and while we never formally met in college, it was so much fun to trade stories of the long, windy winters that Rochester has to offer, parking tickets galore, and shared professors. She even asked us to hand our cameras to someone else and jump in the RIT alumni photo! What a wonderful sunny wedding to photograph on a November day. 

Courtney and Reilly's Light-Dappled, Intimate Wedding at the Ethan Allen Homestead in Burlington, Vermont

Both from Rhode Island, Courtney and Reilly fell in love with Vermont, not only recently buying a house in a quiet little Burlington neighborhood, but also centering their wedding around one of their favorite places to hang out with their dog- the Ethan Allen Homestead, which is the coolest (free!!) place to catch a bit of history, go for a run, and explore the wide variety of nature areas that make up the expansive park. They decided to nestle their ceremony in a light-dappled grove of apple trees, inviting their families and a few close friends to witness their marriage, building in a nice big chunk of time before an intimate dinner for us to roam around the property and everyone else to let their dogs out (my favorite detail). Days like this are so wonderful for me as a photographer (especially when the weather and light were as awesome as they were on Saturday), quiet, non-rushed time, and a chance to get to know all the guests as well!